Metal door



Oct. 16, 1928.

W. R. BRACE METAL DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 weweb Filed June 16, 1926 srow vmoao 15 INVENTORZ W Oct. '16, .1928.

1,687,537 w.- R.' BRACE METAL DOOR Filed June 16, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 $1 INVENTOR;

C gy 3 ATTORNEYS.

with the frame;

Patented Get. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM R. BRACE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

METAL noon.

Application filed June 16, 1926. SeriaINo. 116,293;

method of inserting vthem in a door or other element of steel furniture or other construetion by which said panels shall be very firmly" and'at the same time quickly i115 ,serted; to enable the panels tobe inserted asafinalst'ep in the formation of a door or the like and thus serve to bind'the other parts together; to enable the frame of the door or the like to be first made as an endless hollow member intolwhich the vpanels are later inserted; to provide for the insertion of cross-bars between panels, in a manner analogous to'that of inserting the panels, and toobtain other advantages and results as maybe brought out'by; the following description. r I p Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate the sameparts throughout-the several views, i r c c Figure 1 is a side elevation of a door'of my improved construction;

Figure 2 isan isometric section of the frame of the door, as on line 2-2 of Figure 1-, showing the same as formed with its edge flanges projecting inv substantially the same plane; e i I Figure 8' is a similar view showingsaid edge flanges and the edge vflanges of panel plates in position for assembling;

Figure 4 is a similar view showingthe panel plates assembled with the frame as in Figue lp g Figure 5s a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1, showing how a. cross-bar is assembled Figure dis a detail perspective view further illustrating the same;

Figure 7' illustrates a modified construction of connecting the cross-bar to the frame of the door; 3

Figure 8 'isasection of the same on line 8-8 of Figure 7;.

Figu're'9 s eross seetionon line Q -=9 1313 of Figure'lQ, before the ridge Figure 10 illustrates a modified connection of panels to frame, showing the same in position to be assembled;

Figure 11 shows the panels andframe of Figure 10 assembled;

Figure 12 is a view of'one corner of a door having its top and side members miteredand welded together, and

Figure 13 is a section of'the sameon line caused by welding has been removed.

In said drawings, Figure 1 shows a specific embodiment of my invention in which the door 1 has a continuoushollow peripheral portion 2 of sheet metahwith' a cross-barf) flush at both sides of the doorwith the portion 2, and upper and lower panels 4, 5 which are thinner than the rest of the door as is common. The sheet metal forming the portion? of the door is, as shownin the crosssectional view in FigureQ, bent up into suitable form with its edge p'ortionsfi, 7 brought flatwise together and preferably secured to each other, as by, the spot welding shown, the outer margins 8, 9 of said edge portions being bentzoutwardly apart; For inserting a panel, as the margins 8, 9-are bentfurther backward, as shownin Figure 8, andthen the panelplates 10 andll are brought against the edges of said margins;

Sand 9, said plates'havingat their edges flanges l2'and 13 which are bent inwardly substantially parallel to the flanges 8 and 9. Pressure is then applied to the panel} plates 10 and 11 at the opposite outer sides thereof, as by means of dies (not shown), and said flanges 8, 9 and 12, 13 are by such pressure folded flat upon one another so as to form the lock joints shown in Figure 4. Said panel plates are thussecured in proper posi tion and lock the outer peripheral portion 20f the door so asto hold the same in shape and position.

If desired, any suitable lining on filling (not shown): may be inserted between the panel plates 10 and 11, for the purpose of deadening soundor the like, as isnow commonly done in the construction of doors. Also the outer frame portion 2 ofthe door may bebent'up into any suitablecrossr section, particularly with respect to the 'molding parts 14 thereof, which maybe of desired configuration other than shown herein. It should also be observed that" the spot welding of the parts 6, 7 thef fjjaine tithe deer might befrlispegiised viith if del any sired, and the interlocking of the panel flanges with said frame flanges be depended upon for holding the parts in position.

Preferably the cross-bar 3 is inserted in the frame portion 2 of the door in a manner analogous to the insertion of the panels just described, and the preferred way of doing this is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. The molding parts 14 of the inner sides of the upright-side pieces of the door frame are-cut away for-a distance equal to the width of the cross-bar 3, such cutting being done on a bevel which will miter with a similar bevel on the moldingparts of the cross-bar, sothat such mitered edges can be soldered or otherwise secured together after thecross-bar is inserted. Only an inturned ortion 15 is left where the nioldino' arts are cutaway, and over the edge of this projects a flange strip 16 which is bent to' lie against the inside of said inturned portion l5, as at 17, and then against the inside of the side bar of the door as at 18, these flange strips being fastened as by spot welding to the side pieces of the door, as shown in Figure 5. Ears 19 extend inward from theflange strips 16 preferably in alinement with the inturned portions 15 and serve to'position a spacing piece 20 which extends edgewise between the projecting portions 21, 21 of the flange strips 16 and is preferably spot welded thereto, as shown in Figure 5.

The end of each of the opposite side walls 22, 22 of the cross-bar is provided with a flange 23 which interlocks with a flange 24 on the adjacent strip 16 in the same manner as the panel plates shown in Figures 3 and and thus the entire cross-bar is secured firmly in place, the spacingpiece 2O rigidly holding the opposite strips 16, 16 apart during the pressing operation, and the side walls 22 of the cross-bar forming continuations of the side walls of the door frame.

Another way of securing flanges on the side pieces of the door for attachment of the cross-bar is shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9,

where a single transverse flange strip 25 is employed to lie against the int-urned portions 15, 15 ofthe side piece of the door and provide projecting flange portions 26, 26.

I spending flange portions 32 on the opposite side walls 33, 33 of the cross-bar.

While I have shown up to this point int-erlocking flanges adapted to be pressed flatapplied to said opposite panel plates to force them into place the ends of said flanges 36 become curled inside of the heavier curled flanges 34, 34 and ,interlock therewith as shown at 38, 38 in Figure 11. In this illustration I have shown a sound-deadening filling 44 of any suitable kind between the panel plates 35,35.

While the peripheral p'ortions'of a door having my improved panels can be secured together in any suitable way at the corners.

of the door, I prefer to have them mitered at said corners, and in Figures 12 and 13 of the drawings have shown this accomplished by inserting along the mitered edges of adjacent portions 39', 39 of the door be-' fore they are joined, light channels 40,40 with their flanges '41, 41 projecting outwardly sothat the side'walls'42, 42 oft-he portions 39, 39 of thedoor may be spot'welded or otherwise secured thereto, as shown; Then by welding machines common and wellyknown in the art the Initered edges are brought together and welded as at -43, the exterior rib being afterwards removed to leave a smooth surface. The channels 40, 40 support said side walls 42, 42 in perfect alinement for the welding, andia very finished result is secured. j

Various modifications of the details of my invention may be made by those skilled in. the art, in using the same for manufacturing purposes, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I'Wishto be understood as notlimiting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art. 7

Having thus described "the invention, what lcla'imiszM, l

1. In structural hollow sheet metal construction, the combination of opposite side walls one having an inturned edgeportion provided at spaced parts of itslength with moldings, panels secured to the edges ofsaid moldings, a flange strip secured to theinside of said side wall back of its inturned edge in the space between said moldings and having with respect to the side walls a transverse portion" and. a parallel portion with an outwardly bent marginal flange, a

spacer secured to said flange strip in engagement with said transverse and parallelportions thereof and the opposite wall, and a' bar having a marginal flange forming a lock seam with said marginal flange of the flange strip.

2. In structural sheet metal construction, the combination with opposite side walls one having an inturned edge portion, of a flange strip secured to the inside of said side wall with inturned edge and having portion transverse to said side Wall and another por tion parallelto said side wall and with an outwardly bent marginal flange, a spacer secured to said flange strip in engagement with said transverse and parallel portions thereof and the opposite wall, and a continuation side wall having a marginal flange forming a lock seam with said marginal flange of the flange strip.

3. In a hollow sheet metal door, the com bination with a peripheral frame portion having at opposite points of the inner edges of its side parts inturned edge portions, a cross-bar extending between said opposite parts of said frame having said inturned edge portions and being substantially flush with the sides of the frame, flange strips each secured to the inside of one of the opposite side walls of the door frame and having a transverse portion parallel to the inturned edge thereof and another portion parallel to a side wall of the cross-bar and underlying the same, said crossbar side wall and underlying portion of the strip having interlocking flanges, and a spacer secured to opposite flange strips in engagement with the said transverse and parallel portions thereof.

WILLIAM R. BRACE. 

